LPR 4

"Wake up, Estelle."

Suddenly, Estelle's eyes shot open, wide and startled. Her body jerked reflexively, as if violently dragged from emptiness into a confusing reality. Her heart raced, her chest thundering in an unrelenting storm.

At the same time, Estelle's mouth opened wide. A feeling of restriction gripped her, right at her lungs, which struggled as if they had been deprived of air for a long time. She hastily gulped air, relieving the suffocation that was tormenting her.

Estelle gasped, her eyes darting around. She looked around quickly, trying to understand what was happening, but the confusion only grew. She felt lost with a hollow emptiness in her head.

Waves of worry trembled, spreading through every nerve in Estelle's body. The uncertainty made her motionless. She didn't move at all until a voice addressed her sense of hearing.

"Oh, thank God. You're finally awake."

Reflexively, Estelle turned around, and at the same time, a blinding light radiated everywhere. She immediately closed her eyes.

"I thought you'd never wake up, Estelle. How late did you sleep last night?"

Sleep? The word echoed in her mind until Estelle felt her body go numb. She blinked, then opened her eyes, realizing that the blinding light came from the morning sun streaming through the window. The curtains had just been drawn, dispersing the darkness that had enveloped the room.

Estelle froze. Her eyes remained fixed on the woman who was now walking towards her.

"Haven't I told you repeatedly? Don't sleep too late. Look at this. Greta has been trying to wake you since earlier, but you don't want to wake up. Do I have to intervene every day to wake you up?"

Estelle remained silent. She ignored all the words swirling around her at that moment. Her focus was singular, a glimpse of a feeling that was quickly developing into a myriad of emotions in her heart.

Heat rose in her eyes and finally Estelle couldn't hold back anymore. She got out of bed and rushed over to the figure. "Kiara."

Kiara was taken aback. Her eyes widened in surprise. Both of her hands instinctively rose, her body reflexively wanting to break free of the sudden embrace, but then she felt something different. The hug was tight, as if it did not want to let go.

"Estelle," Kiara whispered quietly. Now she didn't want to let go of Estelle's embrace. Instead, she returned the hug with warmth. Then she stroked Estelle's back. "What's wrong?"

Estelle didn't answer, but continued to hold Kiara. She seemed to be telling herself that this was all real. It wasn't a dream like she had thought.

Estelle's fingers gripped Kiara's clothes. Her face was buried in the curve of Kiara's neck, and she swore that the vanilla scent she had smelled then was indeed Kiara's scent, Kiara's favorite perfume scent.

Estelle held Kiara even tighter. The turmoil in her heart was truly unbearable as a possibility echoed in her mind. This isn't a dream, this is reality.

"Um." Kiara hesitated for a moment after she felt she had given Estelle enough time. Slowly she reached for Estelle's hands and released the embrace. "Estelle, what's wrong with you? Are you... oh, my God!" Tears streaming down Estelle's face startled her. She cupped Estelle's face with both hands. "What's wrong, Estelle? Why are you crying? What has happened to you? Tell me."

Estelle couldn't answer all of Kiara's questions. Instead, her tears flowed even more. "Kiara."

Kiara decided to let Estelle sit on the edge of the bed. This time she didn't ask any more questions, but tidied up Estelle's slightly disheveled state. She wiped the tears from Estelle's cheeks.

Estelle grabbed Kiara's wrists and held them firmly. Then she looked at Kiara with teary eyes. "You can hear me, Kiara."

Kiara furrowed her brow. Her eyes moved with uncertain looks. "Um, Estelle. What do you mean? Of course I can hear you."

Kiara's confusion was actually the answer to all of Estelle's doubts. Her conviction grew stronger. She could touch Kiara; she could talk to Kiara. Her presence could be felt by Kiara.

"Estelle," Kiara whispered when she didn't get an answer to her confusion. Then she looked at Estelle with a worried expression. "Is something wrong? Why are you acting so weird this morning?"

Estelle bit her lower lip. She suppressed a grin for all the emotions that were now fighting in her chest. Inside, there was an indescribable relief. "Oh, Kiara. I thought I would never see you again."

"What do you mean? Why can't we meet again? Don't scare me, Estelle. Your words are not funny."

"I'm not scaring you, Kiara. On the contrary, I was so scared earlier." Estelle closed her eyes. She felt the lingering fear for a moment, but then she pushed it away. She took a deep breath. "I-I died and you couldn't even hear my voice."

Kiara's face changed. Her eyes suddenly widened. "What on earth are you talking about, Estelle? Don't say things like that." She shook her head. "You must have had a nightmare, and that's because you never listen to my advice. Don't sleep too late and stop watching those horror shows."

Estelle swore. It wasn't a dream, it was real. That's why she was sure that no nightmare could cause as much fear as she felt. The fear was truly terrifying, piercingly cold. She was dead. She was even seeing her own funeral.

"Let's end this conversation, Estelle. I don't want to hear any more," Kiara said as she rose from her seat. "Now you have to get ready quickly. We don't have much time since you woke up late."

Estelle, still struggling with the confusion of the situation, could only look at Kiara uncertainly. "Get ready?"

At first Kiara wanted to leave immediately, but Estelle's uncertain words made her pause. "Wait a minute, Estelle. What horror movie did you watch last night before you went to bed? Was the nightmare really so terrifying that it made you forget what day it is?"

Estelle couldn't answer.

Kiara's eyes rolled dramatically. She sighed, then said, "Today is your engagement day with Lennon."

It seemed that Estelle had misheard. She recoiled with a look that couldn't be put into words. "E-Engagement?"

"Estelle," Kiara whispered in a tone that clearly conveyed concern. She panicked. "Don't scare me."

This time it wasn't the fear of death that filled Estelle's mind, but confusion. She furrowed her brow and rose from her seat as well. "Wait, Kiara. You said earlier that today was my engagement day with Lennon?"

Kiara nodded. "Yes, it's your engagement day with Lennon. That's why I woke you. We have to get ready. Besides, Mom and Dad are waiting for you at the dinner table."

"Mom? Dad?"

Estelle could barely breathe. She swallowed the lump in her throat. At that moment, she felt her heart beat faster. She tried to restrain herself from the immediate assumptions that were forming in her mind. But she had her own desires.

Estelle's body moved unconsciously. She stood up immediately. Her steps were quick, almost like running. She left the room, leaving Kiara behind.

"Estelle! Where are you going?"

Estelle ignored Kiara's calls. She kept running and hurried down the stairs. Her destination was the dining room.

Estelle's footsteps stopped. The sight in the dining room stunned her.

"Estelle! Oh, thank God. You're finally down. Come on in! Eat your breakfast first, then we'll get ready."

Estelle blinked. Tears were streaming down her face.

"Calm down, Gloria. Don't panic too much. It looks like you're the one getting engaged today, not Estelle."

"Roland, you—"

"Mom!"

Suddenly, Estelle rushed over and hugged Gloria tightly. Gloria's words were cut off.

"Estelle," Gloria whispered with a confused look at Roland. She asked Roland by eye signals. But Roland just shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he didn't understand. "What is it, honey? What happened? Why did you suddenly—"

"Mommy," Estelle interrupted Gloria's words again. She tightened the hug for a moment to calm her inner turmoil. Then she released the embrace to turn to Roland. "Daddy."

Roland allowed Estelle to hug him with the same confusion Gloria felt. They continued to look at each other, growing more and more confused.

"Um." Roland cleared his throat as the hug ended. He looked at Estelle with a cautious look. "Estelle, is something wrong?"

Estelle couldn't answer. All the confusion now gathered in her mind and made her head spin. She couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing, what her hands were touching, but it was all real.

Waves of happiness hit Estelle unexpectedly. She couldn't hold back the tears that welled up again, then turned into tears of joy. "I missed you."

*